


Bring Him Home

by katelsker



Category: Adam (2009), Charlie Countryman (2013), Hannibal Extended Universe - Fandom, Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Spacedogs - Fandom
Genre: Adam gives Nigel the will to live, Age Difference, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Hunger Games Setting, Blood and Violence, Death, Drugs, Excessive Swearing, Gale volunteered and died, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Implied/Referenced Underage Prostitution, It's brief but I’m tagging it to be safe, It's the Hunger Games and people die, M/M, May/December Relationship, Murder, No smut due to the author's incompetence, Peeta was never in the Hunger Games, Prostitution, Protective Nigel (Charlie Countryman), Self-Harm, Spacedogs, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, The Hunger Games messes people up, no actual suicide
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-16 04:49:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28950693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katelsker/pseuds/katelsker
Summary: In a world where the 74th Hunger Games only had one Victor, there is no rebellion.Nigel Vladescu volunteers for the third Quarter Quell because he wants to force his ex-wife to watch him die.Adam Raki is simply unlucky.The two meet while preparing for the arena, and Nigel decides to do whatever it takes to ensure that the beautiful boy goes home.
Relationships: Nigel (Charlie Countryman)/Adam Raki
Comments: 9
Kudos: 57





	1. The Reaping

**Author's Note:**

> I enjoy Hunger Games crossovers/AUs, and Nigel is a violent psychopath who would have thrived in the games. So, I just had to write a story featuring tribute!Nigel killing people in order to keep tribute!Adam safe. Maybe I have a problem...
> 
> Anyway, this story is ridiculous, but I hope it brings a few people joy :)

**Prologue**

_“On the 75th anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them are not immune to the wrath of the Capitol, the male and female tributes will be reaped from a pool consisting of the closest living relatives of past victors above the age of twelve.”_

Nigel snorted at the announcement coming from his beat-up second hand television.

So, he was going into the Reaping bowl again at the ripe old age of forty-five.

He took a drag of his cigarette.

He was going to be just one of many bastards of his father’s in the Reaping bowl this year.

It would’ve broken the man’s twisted heart.

Or at least annoyed him to no end.

Nigel clenched his jaw.

He should have waited a year to kill the sick bastard. 

Well, hindsight and all that.

Nigel stood and snuffed out his cigarette as he walked to the window overlooking one of the seedier areas in District 2.

He looked past the broken-down buildings to the colorful skyscrapers in the distance.

Somewhere out there Gabi was cozied up with her pissant of a peacekeeper second husband.

Living a life far better than the one he could provide her now that he was cut out of the business.

Till death do they fucking part.

Nigel Vladescu was not meant to be divorced.

Widowed or dead.

He would have never signed those fucking papers if he hadn’t been drugged out of his mind.

His brilliant disloyal Gabi.

His little devil.

Nigel eyed the gun on the coffee table.

He had been planning to finally end it all after six months of failing to win his wife back.

However…

Nigel looked at the television screen where that idiot Flickerman was giving commentary on President Snow’s “monumental” announcement about the 75th Hunger Games.

Perhaps…

Nigel grinned.

Oh, he was going to make his little devil watch him die.

He would let her and the whole world know she had eaten his fucking heart.

And then—

Well, he’d finally end it all.

Till death do they fucking part.

***

“I’m twenty-three!” Adam cried as he began to rock. “No more Reaping. I’m twenty-three. Too old. I’m done. I’m safe. I’m too—“

Adam flinched as Harlan pulled him into an embrace and began to rock with him.

“Son, Katniss Everdeen is your cousin.”

“Yes. She hates me. Doesn’t have time for my bullshit. She tells me that every time I—“

Harlan sighed. “She’s not the most patient of young ladies.”

“Prim is. I like Prim. Everybody likes Prim.”

“They do.”

“Katniss...well everybody is trying to like Katniss because Gale volunteered to protect her in the games and then died. But many people think she lead him on like any other Seam whore and she—“

“Adam—“

“But, she’s not a whore! She’s just grumpy and mean and punched the baker’s son. Seems to blame him for Gale’s death but he didn’t ask for him to volunteer and Peeta is nice and—“

“Adam, breathe.”

“I don’t want to be Reaped. I’m too old. I shouldn’t have to—“

“I know.”

“Why is this happening?”

“The world is fucked up.”

“You swore.”

“I think the situation calls for it.”

“Yeah, it’s b...bullshit.”

Harlan laughed even though he was crying. Adam didn’t even try to understand. Instead, he closed his eyes and thought of the stars.

In another life, he would have studied stars instead of coal mining equipment.

In another life, he would have been able to date Head Peacekeeper Buchwald’s daughter for longer than four months.

He would have—

Well, maybe he would have never heard of the Hunger Games at all.

  
  
  
  


***

  
  
  
  


“I volunteer as tribute!” Nigel bellowed.

The academy brat who had been selected to volunteer whimpered under his boot.

The crop of graduates was getting weaker he thought as he smirked.

Back in his day, before he’d been expelled from the academy, the students had been—

“Step away from the boy.”

Nigel obliged the peacekeeper’s request only after kicking the brat once more for good measure.

He took a moment to adjust his favorite shirt and fix his greying hair before marching up to the stage.

There were murmurs all around him.

Everyone in District 2 knew who he was.

Nobody was surprised that Nigel Vladescu would break the unspoken law of the district and volunteer for the Hunger Games without being chosen by the training academy.

Most were just surprised he hadn’t done so back when he was of the standard Reaping age.

The handful who truly knew him, realized he had no stomach for murdering kids even when he had technically been one.

They knew—

Nigel scanned the crowd and saw his Gabi standing far too close to the peacekeepers for his liking.

He wondered which masked fuck was Countryman before focusing back on the love of his life. 

Her blue eyes were shining and her hands were covering her mouth.

She was the picture of devastation, and it warmed what was left of his shattered heart. 

She was one of the few who knew what this was.

A suicide of grandios proportions.

Nigel stole the microphone from the flustered Capitol escort.

He cleared his throat. “To death do we fucking part, gorgeous.”

  
  


***

  
  


The odds were not in Adam’s favor.

District 12 had the least amount of victors of all of the districts.

Less victors meant less relatives.

Even less “close” relatives.

Most of the unfortunate people gathered were first or second cousins of the two living victors onstage.

There was one glaring exception.

Primrose Everdeen.

Adam kept glancing at her.

He really hoped his favorite little cousin wasn’t chosen.

“Ladies first.”

He held his breath as Effie Trinket slid her hand into the glass bowl.

She pulled out a slip of paper and opened it.

“Ivy Brookwood.”

Adam felt himself relax when he registered the fact that it wasn’t Primrose who was chosen.

Instead, it was a woman he didn’t know personally. 

She was about ten years older than him with a pinched face and angry Seam gray eyes. She sold alcohol in the Hob and had once threatened Adam for talking to one of her young children. 

Suddenly, Adam felt sad for the weathered woman walking stiffly towards the stage.

She had children.

He could hear them crying in the crowd.

It was too much.

He closed his eyes.

Adam wanted to run and hide and—

“Adam Raki.”

His panic was replaced by sheer terror when he heard his name called.

It took a moment for it to sink in.

No.

This must be a mistake.

A bad dream—

Then, the peacekeepers were pulling him towards the stage and he started fighting.

He screamed for his dad even though he couldn’t help him from the ground.

He screamed for Harlan.

He cried for Beth.

Anyone who cared—

“Stop!”

A firm high voice broke Adam out of his panicking.

“Just give him a minute!”

Tiny hands enveloped his, and he focused on the gentle pressure.

That along with the restraint provided by the peacekeepers calmed him down.

He blinked back tears as he looked down at Primrose.

His kind baby cousin.

“Prim, I don’t want to die.”

Broadcasted for all of Panem to see, Adam broke down into sobs as his cousin hugged him.

A lamb for the slaughter.

He didn’t stand a chance.

Bloodbath fodder.

That’s all he was.


	2. The Big Bad Man From District 2

**One (Nigel)**

Enobaria was a cunt.

Nigel was wasted, but he stood by that statement.

In fact, he believed in that statement so much that he decided to announce it.

“Enobaria’s a fucking cunt!” Nigel shouted to the Capitol socialites milling about the opulent VIP lounge.

Apparently, clubbing after the Tribute Parade was a career district tradition.

Career district stylists even designed chic outfits for the occasion. 

Who knew?

Well, obviously Brutus and Enobaria the cunt did.

Nigel guessed the training academy knew too and the other career Victors and fucking Caesar Flickerman and—

“What did you just say?” the shark-toothed Victor growled.

“I said—“

“He said you’re a cunt,” Nigel’s eighteen-year-old district partner deadpanned, shocking Nigel into hysterics. 

Nigel laughed so hard he almost fell off the crowded pink leather sofa where he sat between what appeared to be sexless aliens but were just his prep team.

“Yes, what Cathy said!”

Cathy was a cool kid.

A huge lesbian, but it wasn’t like Nigel could judge—

“Cassia.”

Nigel blinked at Cathy the cool lesbian. “What?”

“My name is Cassia.”

Fuck. 

Nigel was shit with names and now she was mad. She was probably going to kill him the first chance she got and he would let her but it would be embarrassing—

He had to fix this.

“Right, Camilla, so sorry.”

Nigel’s eyes widened in alarm as Camilla poured a fluorescent orange drink onto his head, causing his alien prep team to squeal and scatter.

Across from him, Brutus snickered into his vodka as the young career tribute stalked off and Enobaria finally recovered from Nigel’s audacity.

“You’re such a fucking embarrassment,” Enorbaria screeched much to the delight of their Capitol audience. “You’re wasting everyone’s time. You stole a trained tribute’s place just so you could have a chance at glory. You may be a killer, but you are not a _properly_ trained killer. These games are far more than just picking up a gun and pulling a trigger. It’s hand-to-hand combat and knife throwing and—“

Enobaria was not just a cunt.

She was a boring cunt.

Nigel was done with her bullshit.

He left.

He left and Enobaria was too shocked to stop him.

Either that or she just didn’t want to cause a bigger scene.

Cunt.

The club wasn’t far from the Training Center and Nigel wasn’t a damn idiot.

He could make it back to his room alone.

Being from a career district had its perks. 

He was left the fuck alone while tributes from less trusted districts were constantly followed if they were even let out of the Training Center at all.

Within twenty minutes, he found himself in a gilded elevator heading to District 2’s floor.

But—

Curious, Nigel decided to hit the button for the top floor.

He wanted to see the roof.

He wanted to look out at the Capitol skyline and see what all the fuss was about.

He also wanted a damn smoke without some creepy Avox hovering behind him with an ashtray.

He knew they were just doing their jobs, but they needed to fuck off.

He arrived on the District 12 floor and bypassed the large door to the main suite.

He instinctively went down the hallway towards the Avox quarters.

He walked around a bit until he saw it.

A door.

He blinked.

An open door.

An open door leading to a set of stairs.

Jackpot.

Nigel climbed the stairs and froze.

Someone was crying.

They were fucking sobbing and Nigel didn’t have time for this shit.

He needed a smoke.

Nigel considered turning around and making his way back down to the District 2 suite.

Then, he remembered the creepy Avoxes.

He stomped over to the side of the rooftop garden furthest from the dramatics.

“Adam, you need to snap out of this,” a female voice shouted. “Do you want to be drugged again like during the Tribute Parade?”

“No…”

“Then, you need to man up!”

“You’re rude,” a man shouted back in a wet voice. “You’re rude and you’re mean and I hate you!”

Nigel rolled his eyes and lit his cigarette.

It was obviously two younger tributes having a mutual breakdown.

Fucking kids and their dramatics.

Statistically, these were their last days on Earth.

They both needed to calm the shit down and smell the damn roses.

Or something like that.

Nigel turned his attention away from the unhinged kids on the other side of the roof.

He looked through the protective barrier and out at the Capitol skyline.

It was bright, dazzling, and ugly as shit.

Capitolites had no fucking taste.

“I want Haymitch to be my mentor,” the unknown male tribute shouted, without the previous sign of tears. 

“You can’t be serious—“

“I am. I hate you, and you hate me.”

“I don’t hate you—“

“Yes you do. I’m dumb Adam. You don’t have time for my bullshit. You always say so. I’m dumb dumb dumb—“

“Christ, Adam stop hitting yourself—“

“You can’t tell me what to do! You aren’t my mentor anymore. It’s your fault I’m here and you’re not my mentor and—“

“Fine, it's not like you have a chance either way,” the unknown female spat before rushing towards the staircase and disappearing with the sound of a slammed door.

Nigel winced.

Harsh.

Accurate, but harsh.

Whoever this young tribute was had no chance against people like—

The sobbing began again and Nigel wanted to groan.

His damn conscience was nagging at him.

The same conscience that had forced Nigel to slit his father’s throat instead of burning him alive, now wanted him to go comfort some random kid.

Nigel put up a token protest before stubbing out his cigarette and stalking over to the crying tribute.

“Are you okay, kid?” Nigel asked, causing the kid to startle and look up at him from his seat on a bench.

Blue.

The kid’s eyes were so damn blue.

Almost as blue as—

“I’m not a kid,” the crying angel sniffled, before turning his eyes away. “I’m twenty-three.”

Nigel snorted. “You don’t look a day over eighteen, gorgeous.”

“My name is Adam, not gorgeous.”

The young man, Adam, looked irritated but he had stopped crying. 

Nigel took that as a win and sat down beside the curly-haired tribute.

The man was fucking stunning and Nigel couldn’t help but stare at his profile.

In return, Adam glowered at his shoes.

“I’m busy and you should go away.”

“Busy?”

“Yes.”

“So, you’re telling me to fuck off?”

“Y...yes. Please, fuck off.”

The curse sounded ridiculous on the angel’s lips and Nigel couldn’t help but chuckle.

He was a giggly drunk.

It had always amused Darko to no end.

The bastard.

“Don’t laugh at me.”

“I’m not—“

“Yes, you—“

“Fine, I am. But, you just sounded so cute, gorgeous.”

“My name is Adam.”

“I know, gorgeous.”

Nigel’s willful obtuseness earned him another brief glare.

As blue as fucking sapphires. 

Well, a paler blue but still—

“You’re rude.”

“Am I?”

“Yes, Harlan says that if someone tells you their name, you should tell them yours.”

“Is Harlan your boyfriend?”

Adam blinked. “He’s sixty.”

“Ahh...a sugar daddy,” Nigel said, unable to help himself since being an asshole was his default setting. “I should have known. A guy like you is too pretty to work.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Nevermind, it was a shitty joke.”

“You’re not funny.”

“Apparently,” Nigel conceded as he went to light another cigarette.

Adam eyed the cigarette with distaste but didn’t say a damn word about it.

The kid was smart and knew how to pick his battles.

Nigel decided to reward him.

He took a long drag of his cigarette and finally answered Adam’s unasked question.

“I’m Nigel.”

Adam stiffly offered his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Nigel.”

Nigel smirked and allowed the awkward handshake.“You too, gorgeous.”

“Why do you keep—“

“You’re gorgeous that’s why.”

“I’m not—“

“Anyway, you feeling okay now? You seemed pretty upset earlier.”

Adam froze.

He then turned to Nigel and smiled.

“I do feel much better. You are very irritating and it distracted me from crying.”

Nigel laughed.

Adam was something else.

His honesty was refreshing.

“I’m sorry, that was rude—“

Nigel waved off the apology. “Your mentor sounded like a bitch.”

“She is not my mentor anymore,” Adam scowled. “But you are right. She is not nice.”

“She sounded quite young. Is she a new Victor?”

“She won last year.”

“Ah, Katie Eveningtree. Had that boyfriend who died in the bloodbath trying to get her a bow?”

“Katniss Everdeen,” Adam corrected. “And Gale wasn’t her boyfriend.”

“Whatever. So, is District 12 as shitty as they say?”

“Yes.”

“Good to know.”

Nigel took a few quiet moments to just smoke. 

He was already sobering up.

Stupid shitty Capitol alcohol.

He should have listened to Brutus and tried some of those pills the Capilolites had been passing around like candy.

Adam shifted beside him, and Nigel looked down into those distractingly blue eyes.

“Yes, gorgeous?”

“What district are you from?”

“Two.”

Adam paled. “Two?”

“Yeah…” Nigel said in confusion as the beautiful man started shaking.

“You’re from District 2?” Adam asked, standing and starting to back away from the bench.

He looked like a cornered rabbit and Nigel was starting to worry. “Yeah. Is that a problem?“

“I can’t talk to you,” Adam announced before bolting 

The beautiful boy was gone before Nigel could even process what was happening. 

“Fucking typical,” Nigel grunted as he stood and disposed of his cigarette.

That’s what he got for listening to his damn conscience.

He got his ego bruised by some weirdo kid.

Nigel couldn’t help taking Adam’s sudden exit personally.

He knew it made sense for a District 12 tribute to be scared of a tribute from District 2, but Nigel still felt like a rejected teenager.

Adam was too damn pretty.

It was messing with Nigel’s head.

Filled with disgust at how pathetic he was, Nigel decided to head the fuck to bed.

Group training was starting tomorrow.

He’d smooth things over with the angel then.


	3. Not Alone

**Two (Adam)**

Haymitch Abernathy was staring at him.

Adam was trying to ignore it and eat his purple macaroni and cheese.

It was the wrong color but it still tasted okay.

He just had to close his eyes in order to eat it.

However, with Haymitch staring at him, Adam didn’t want to close his eyes.

Harlan had always said to never trust Haymitch Abernathy, especially in a game of poker.

Adam wasn’t playing poker with his new mentor, but he still thought it best to keep his eyes open.

Adam kept staring at his weird macaroni and cheese until Haymitch spoke.

“That’s your breakfast?”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t it a little early for that stuff?”

Adam looked pointedly at the bottle in Haymitch’s hand. “You’re drinking whisky. I think that is less appropriate than my mac and cheese.”

“Fair enough,” the older man shrugged before taking a swig of his whisky.

Adam closed his eyes and ate a few bites of mac and cheese. Then, he addressed his mentor.

“Where are Katniss and Ivy?”

“Probably off strategizing or something.”

“They haven’t eaten breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It provides energy that helps—“

“I’m sure they’ll both survive.”

“But—“

“Adam, can I ask you a serious question?”

“Okay.”

“Do you have a death wish?”

Adam blinked. 

He didn’t understand. 

The question didn’t make any sense. 

Adam let his eyes flick over Haymitch’s face, but the lack of discernible expression made him more confused.

“Why would I want to die? Why would you think that? Why are you—“

“Why would I think that?” Haymitch leaned back and crossed his arms. “You want me, of all people, to be your mentor.”

“What is wrong with wanting you? You’re the logical choice. You have more experience—“

“Yeah, experience bringing kids home in boxes,” the Victor scoffed.

“You brought Katniss home.”

“She brought herself home. The girl’s a damn cockroach. She’s basically indestructible. Even my shitty mentoring couldn’t kill her. She’s a fighter.”

Adam didn’t know what to say to that.

So, he went back to staring at his unconventional breakfast.

A beat passed, and Haymitch spoke again.

“So, if you don’t have a death wish, why the fuck did you tell Katniss you want to switch mentors?”

“Katniss is mean.”

“And I’m not?”

“No, you are also very mean, but you’re not my cousin. It hurts less.”

“That’s depressing as shit.”

“Yes. Many things are depressing right now. I’m going to die.”

Haymitch winced. “It’s not a guarantee…”

“I’m not stupid. You don’t have to lie to me.”

“Fine, the odds aren’t in your favor and all that jazz, but you’re an okay kid. Smart. Harlan won’t shut up about how smart you are. You know machines right? You could rig up some bombs or something—“

Adam spent the rest of breakfast listening to Haymitch give him advice about the games.

It was mostly stuff Adam already knew from Katniss, but he could tell that Haymitch was trying.

Far too soon, it was time for Adam to head down to group training with his district partner, Ivy.

Adam was nervous.

It felt like the first day of school when he hadn’t known anybody and—

“I’m not joining an alliance with you,” Ivy said as they exited the elevator and headed for the large double doors to the gymnasium. “It’s not personal. I just can’t babysit you. I know you have issues but...I have to get home to my kids. I can’t afford the distraction. You’d just end up getting me killed.”

Yes, it felt just like the first day of school.

Adam said nothing and let Ivy make her way into the gymnasium alone.

He felt tears sting his eyes, but he had done enough crying.

Clenching his jaw, Adam walked up to the metal doors.

They opened automatically and Adam found himself in a vast room sectioned off into different areas.

Adam bit his lip.

He had no clue where to begin.

Maybe he could find a survival skill station and—

“Fancy meeting you here, gorgeous,” a familiar voice purred, causing Adam to startle.

He turned and found Nigel, the man from last night, standing far too close to him, smirking.

Adam was simultaneously terrified and furious.

Nigel had pretended to be nice last night.

However, he was a liar.

District 2 was a career district.

Career tributes weren’t nice.

Nigel had been trying to trick him.

“I don’t want to talk to you,” Adam said and marched over to the nearest survival skill station.

It was knot tying.

Adam was already good at this but decided to try it anyway.

He needed to be busy so Nigel would leave him alone.

Adam studied the board in front of him, grabbed a piece of rope, and started tying one of the more complicated knots.

The instructor, a muscular man with blue hair, came over and started telling Adam useless information.

It was distracting him.

It distracted him almost as much as the fact that Nigel had decided to practice tying knots too.

Adam wanted to yell at Nigel to go away but was too scared.

So, he just focused on the problem he could fix.

The annoying instructor.

“Thank you, I know. I don’t need help,” Adam told the instructor stiffly. 

The instructor rolled his eyes. “It’s not as easy as it looks. If you don’t pull tightly enough, the knot will—“

“I know it’s not easy. However, I learned this skill from my father. He was a better instructor than you. You are far too bossy.”

This was apparently the wrong thing to say.

“You district brats always think you know everything but you’re all idiots—“

“What did you just call him?”

Adam blinked.

Nigel was being aggressive towards the knot tying instructor. 

Why was he—-

“He is not an idiot! He’s—“

Nigel was insulted on his behalf.

This made no sense.

“Nigel, you are being very aggressive for no reason.”

“He called you an idiot!”

“Why do you care? You are not my friend.”

“I can be—“

Adam scowled. “Yes, you could befriend me, convince me you want an alliance, use me as a lookout in the games, and then slit my throat while I sleep.”

Nigel’s eyebrows rose. “That escalated quickly.”

“I don’t know what—“

“You had me go from your ally to your murderer in less than a minute.”

“It would take far longer than a minute. More like several days. Perhaps weeks if I were particularly useful to you and the rest of the career pack—“

Nigel scoffed. “I’d rather slit my wrists than join the career pack. They’re a bunch of psychopaths and coming from me that’s saying something.”

Adam frowned. “You don’t want to join the career pack? Doing so would increase your odds of winning by over eighty percent.”

“Eighty percent huh?”

“Yes.”

“That settles it,” Nigel smirked. “I’m not joining the career pack.”

“But you could win—“

“The last thing I want to do is win the fucking Hunger Games.”

“You don’t want to win?”

“You’re catching on, gorgeous.”

“But, if you lose, you’ll die.”

“Yes, I will. I’ll die, and it will be glorious.”

“You want to die? Why do you want to d—“

“The love, the fucking love. If you lose it, nothing else matters.”

“I don’t understand.”

“That’s okay. Just believe me when I say I have no plans to kill you. No offense, but why would I bother? I’m not getting out of that arena alive. The fucking love won’t let me.”

Adam studied Nigel’s face. He wasn’t the best at reading people and knowing when they were sincere, but Adam knew Nigel was telling the truth. He didn’t know how, but he knew.

Nigel didn’t want to kill Adam.

He just wanted to die.

He wanted to die because of love?

Was he heartbroken?

Who had broken his heart?

Why was Nigel—

Just like that, Adam found Nigel, the scary tribute from District 2, just as fascinating as his stars. 

Adam wasn’t good at understanding people, but he wanted to understand Nigel.

He wanted to understand Nigel and help him, because he was sad.

Most people who wanted to die were sad.

Harlan always said some sad people just needed a friend.

Nigel needed a friend.

Adam did too.

Dying would be a little less scary with a friend. 

Adam glanced shyly at Nigel.

“Do you want to practice archery with me? My uncle tried to teach me how to shoot once. I didn’t like the feel of the bowstring between my fingers, but I still remember how to hold—“

Nigel smiled.

He looked much less scary when he smiled.

“Sure, gorgeous. Let’s go practice some archery.”

Adam found himself smiling too.

He was no longer alone.


	4. The Lech

**Three (Nigel)**

Surprisingly, Nigel was almost enjoying his time training for the Hunger Games.

There was only one reason for this.

Adam.

For the last couple of days, the younger man had been following him around like a goddamn puppy, and Nigel actually liked the company. Group training was a joke and trying to teach the hopeless young man a few combat skills made the whole thing a little more bearable. Adam wasn’t making any progress despite Nigel’s best efforts, but it was something to do. 

Also, the kid was easy on the eyes.

His ass was simply magnificent.

Nigel leaned against the wall and smiled.

Adam was doing surprisingly well on the rock climbing simulator and the view was—

“You’re disgusting,” Cassia spat, taking a spot beside Nigel.

“Thank you, Cathy. The sentiment is mutual.”

Nigel’s district partner narrowed her eyes at his purposeful use of the wrong name. “That joke is getting old.”

“So is your presence. What do you want?” 

“I want you to stop salivating over that District 12 tribute. I mean…come on. He’s like half your age. It’s pathetic and fucks up your image. If Enobaria hears about this—“

“Aww...are you worried about me?”

Cassia scowled. “No. I’m worried about me. We’re supposed to team up. Half our sponsors have agreed on a package deal and—“

“No offense, but I’d rather die than team up with you and your merry band of psychopaths,” Nigel said nodding his head over to where the four other career tributes were mutilating a realistic dummy. 

Cassia winced. “Those high tech dummies are so gross.”

“Kid, you’ll be cutting into real bodies by the end of the week. You’d better get used to it.”

“Like you got used to slitting people’s throats?”

Nigel gave a lazy smile. “You’re familiar with my work?”

“Everyone in District 2 is familiar with your work, Nigel. You killed Ephram Hadley and dragged his corpse to the Justice Building.”

“Allegedly.”

Cassia rolled her eyes. “Allegedly.”

“Could have been anyone. It’s unfortunate the surveillance cameras glitched. My poor father’s murderer was never found,” Nigel smirked. 

“You’re such a hypocrite you know that? You did that to your own father and yet you stand here judging me for joining the career pack. We’re from a career district...that’s what we do!”

“I don’t kill kids.”

“Nigel, almost everyone in this year’s games is at least eighteen. There is that giant from District 9, but he looks closer to forty than sixteen. Get off your high horse and just—“

“I’m not joining the career alliance. Just give it up sweetheart. You’ll survive losing some sponsors. Besides, you’ll enjoy your time in the games more if you’re far away from me.”

Cassia considered this. “Maybe you’re right. You are a pain in the ass.”

“It’s a gift.”

Cassia bid Nigel farewell with her middle finger, and he was able to go back to watching Adam’s fantastic ass in peace.

When Adam made it to the top of the simulation a few minutes later, he sent Nigel a smile and waved.

Nigel waved back like an idiot.

Soon, Adam returned to Nigel’s side, bouncing in delight.

“Did you see, Nigel? I made it all the way to the top.”

“I did, gorgeous. It was very impressive.”

“I think we should practice spear throwing again and—“

“Sweetheart, today’s session is over. They’ll be sending us packing in a minute.”

The younger man visibly deflated. 

“Oh…”

“What’s wrong. Gonna miss me?” Nigel joked.

“Yes.”

Nigel blushed, flattered by the unexpected reply. He rubbed the back of his neck and made a stupid decision.

“We could hangout in my suite tonight if you want…”

“Your suite? Won’t your mentors—“

“They’re going to some sponsor party. I was supposed to go too, but I’ll gladly ditch it.”

Adam glanced up shyly at Nigel. “You’d rather hangout with me than go to a party?”

“Yeah...I guess I would,” Nigel conceded, his blush darkening. “But, it’s fine if you’re busy. I’ll just—“

“I’m not busy.”

“So, do you want to—“

“Yes, I would like to visit you tonight Nigel. What time?”

“Nine?”

Adam nodded. “Okay, I’ll come to your suite at nine.”

A buzzer sounded, signally the end of the day’s training session, and Adam was dragged away by his sour-faced district partner.

Nigel rolled his eyes.

The woman had refused to make an alliance with Adam, and still had the nerve to look at Nigel like he was the evil one.

If anyone was evil, it was her.

She was the one willing to sit back and let Adam die alone.

Nigel would never do that.

In fact, if everything went as planned, Adam wasn’t going to die at all.

Nigel had made that decision the first day of training.

The moment he had seen the gorgeous boy smile back at him, he had known without a shadow of a doubt that he couldn’t let him die.

Adam Raki was too beautiful to die.

Nigel felt the truth of that in his bones.

Saving Adam was going to be the one good thing he did in his life.

His penitence. 

Then, he could die with at least one bright spot on his blackened soul.

Nigel made his way to the District 2 suite without incident, however the moment he informed Enobaria that he wasn’t going to the party, all hell broke loose.

There was shouting and a thrown vase or two, but Nigel got his way in the end.

He wasn’t some sixteen-year-old academy brat trained to do Enobaria’s bidding the moment she threw a tantrum.

He was a grown ass man who did whatever the fuck he wanted.

What Nigel wanted was to spend the night listening to Adam talk about space shit, so that was what he was going to do.

He didn’t tell his temperamental mentor that of course.

It wasn’t worth the inevitable lecture nor was it any of her business.

Instead, he just told her he would rather shoot himself in the face than go to that damn party, and he stayed the fuck home.

It was nine o’clock on the dot when Adam rang the doorbell.

Nigel called off an overeager Avox and answered the door himself.

“Right on time, gorgeous. Not that I expected anything else…” Nigel trailed off as he took in the picture Adam made in the doorway.

Artfully styled curls, sheer top, skin tight pants and— 

Was that lip gloss?

“Can I come in? It’s cold out here.”

Nigel blinked.

Fuck.

He had been staring.

“Sure, come in,” Nigel said as he led Adam into the opulent living room. He gestured for Adam to take a seat on the red leather sofa and stiffly sat beside him. Clearing his throat he spoke again. “So, I checked out the prerecorded program selection and found a documentary on space. I thought we could watch it and then you could explain why it’s shit. If you don’t like that idea we can just—“

“Nigel, do you find me attractive?”

Nigel froze.

Fuck.

Was he that obvious?

“Shit. I’m sorry if I’ve been making you uncomfortable.”

“I’m not uncomfortable.”

“It’s just been a long time since Gabi and—“

Adam kissed him.

The kid fucking pounced, and Nigel found himself just going with it.

He deepened the kiss.

The kid tasted strongly of mouthwash, and Nigel couldn’t help but chuckle as he pulled back from the embrace.

“You planned this.”

Adam nodded. “Yes. You’re very attractive and I don’t want to die a virgin.”

Nigel paled.

He was the kid’s last resort.

“Adam, you’re not going to die. I’m—“

“Don’t lie to me. I’m not stupid,” Adam snapped. He slid off Nigel’s lap and pulled his legs to his chest.

Nigel felt like an ogre for upsetting the beautiful man.

“Of course you’re not. You’re the most brilliant person I’ve ever met. I just mean...“

Adam’s eyes flashed and Nigel quickly shut up.

“I don’t want to talk right now. I want to have sex. Will you have sex with me?”

Nigel hesitated.

Adam was upset and making rash decisions.

He deserved to have his first time with someone who loved him.

Not some old lech still hung up on his ex-wife.

“Adam, I don’t think that’s a good idea. You don’t really want me. You just—“

“I know what I want.”

“I’m twice your age—“

“I don’t care.”

“I still love Gabi—“

“I know.”

“You don’t love me—“

“This is just sex. I don’t care about love. I just want you to have sex with me.”

Nigel winced.

That fucking stung.

It didn’t make any sense but it did.

Nigel sighed and studied the debauched angel in front of him.

Adam was sitting before him dressed like sin and practically begging to be fucked.

Even a saint would have had trouble turning the beautiful man away, and Nigel was no saint.

With a growl, Nigel gave up trying to resist and took Adam to bed.


	5. No Regrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone reading this. I know this type of story is not most people’s cup of tea, so thanks for giving it a chance. I really appreciate it.
> 
> Sending love and good vibes from South Korea :)

**Four (Adam)**

Adam was no longer a virgin.

He was naked in Nigel’s bed, and he was pretty sure that they were cuddling. However, Nigel didn’t look like a cuddler, so Adam couldn’t be certain. He hated being uncertain. 

“Are we cuddling?”

Nigel’s embrace loosened and his brow furrowed. “Yeah, I guess we are. Is that okay?”

Adam considered his answer.

He usually minded being touched, but being touched by Nigel was different.

It felt nice. 

Confusing but nice.

“Cuddling is fine.”

Nigel moved away, and Adam didn’t understand.

“Don’t you want to cuddle?” he asked the older man. 

“You didn’t like it,” Nigel grunted. 

“Why do you think that? I said it was fine,” Adam corrected. He moved closer to Nigel and maneuvered the older man’s arm around himself, trying to replicate their previous position. “Was your arm here? It doesn’t feel the same—“

Nigel chuckled and pulled Adam closer.

The position felt right again and Adam relaxed into the embrace.

There were a few moments of silence and Adam focused on the beating of Nigel’s heart.

It sounded strong and—

“Want to stay the night, gorgeous?” Nigel asked. 

“I don’t want to have sex again tonight. You are very large, and I need to rest.”

“I just meant to sleep. At my age, I’m not usually up for twice in a night.”

“Oh, okay. Then, I’ll stay.”

“I didn’t hurt you did I? I tried to be gentle and—“

“You were gentle. It was just my first time being anally penetrated. Discomfort is to be expected.”

“So, you’re okay? It was okay?”

“It was a very satisfying first time.”

“No regrets?”

“I don’t regret having sex with you, Nigel. You don’t need to feel guilty.” Adam bit his lip. “You are feeling guilty right? I’m not misreading things? I tend to do that.”

“No, you read me like a goddamn book. Thanks for the reassurance, sweetheart. I’m glad you had a good time. I did too.”

“So, are you going to have sex with me again?”

“Is that what you want?”

“Yes.”

“Then, sure. Just let me know when you’re up for it. However, if you decide you don’t want—“

“I’m not going to change my mind.”

“Okay.”

They lapsed into silence, and Adam fell asleep to the beat of Nigel’s heart.

A few hours later, he awoke to the sound of an unknown man laughing.

“Oh my fucking god, Nigel. You did kidnap Haymitch’s tribute. I thought the man was delusional when he came demanding his _male_ tribute be returned to him. I slammed the door in his fucking face. I had no clue you had a taste for cock. Not that I’m judging. I just—“

“Shut the fuck up, Brutus. You’ll wake him up.”

“Looks like he’s already awake,” the bald stranger, Brutus, answered. He studied Adam’s face and leered. “Damn, he is pretty. I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be tempted. Just look at those lips. I bet they’d look great wrapped around—“

“Finish that sentence and you’re fucking dead,” Nigel growled. He jumped out of the bed and marched over to the larger man, heedless of his nakedness.

“Nigel, you’re naked,” Adam pointed out.

“That doesn’t mean I can’t pound this loser’s ass.”

Adam blinked. “You want to pound his ass? I thought you were too old for twice in a night…”

Brutus doubled over with laughter, and Nigel ran a hand down his face.

Adam realized he’d obviously misunderstood and shrank deeper into the covers.

“Get the fuck out, Brutus!”

Laughing, the bald man headed towards the door. “Just get him out. The others are still at the party, but they’ll be back soon. I don’t want to deal with another one of Enobaria’s tantrums, so cuddle time is over.” 

With a wink, Brutus left.

Nigel slammed the door behind him and started swearing up a storm.

He was very talented at swearing.

“That cocksucking son of a bitch. Who the fuck does he think he is barging in here and—“

Adam left Nigel to his swearing and got out of bed. He looked around the room for his clothes and made an upsetting discovery.

“You ripped my shirt.”

Nigel’s tirade stopped. “Fuck, I’m sorry. I got carried away. I can find you something else.”

Nigel went to find Adam a shirt to wear, and Adam put on his pants. 

When Nigel returned, he held out a black turtleneck covered in tiny diamonds.

“I don’t want to wear that. It looks itchy.”

“It probably is, but Adam your neck...“

“What’s wrong with my neck?”

“I sorta went all vampire on you,” Nigel winced.

“You sucked my blood?”

“In a sense.” Nigel threw the gaudy turtleneck onto the bed and gently took Adam’s hand. “Come on, I’ll just show you. Sorry in advance.”

Nigel led Adam to his private bathroom and positioned him in front of the mirror.

Adam stared.

He looked—

“It’s quite obvious I’ve had intercourse,” he said, reaching to tame his mussed curls. His lips were swollen, and on his neck was a large love bite. Adam reached to touch it. It didn’t hurt. He smiled. “I have a hickey. I’ve never had a hickey before.”

Nigel snorted. “Well, I’m glad you’re pleased with it, gorgeous. However, I don’t expect your mentor will be or that cousin of yours for that matter.”

“Yes, they are going to be quite upset with me. But, I don’t care.” Adam turned to look up at Nigel and noticed something different about his tattoo. “I gave you a hickey too. Now, the lady on your neck has a splotchy sunburn.”

“Yeah, I noticed that. We both did a number on each other last night. Next time, we should try to have a bit more self-control.”

“Why?”

“We shouldn’t draw attention to...this. It may make you a target during training. I don’t want people saying shit about you.”

“You mean, calling me your whore?”

Nigel winced. “Yeah.”

“Oh, they already call me that anyway. So, I don’t think—“

“Who called you that?” Nigel seethed. “Who the fuck dared to call you that? I’ll fucking—“

“You’re being very aggressive for no reason again.”

“I have a damn good reason. Those fuckers—“

Adam shrugged. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Yes, it—“

“No, it doesn’t,” Adam said, steel in his voice. 

“Adam—“

“I need to go now. Haymitch was looking for me, and I have to go.” 

Nigel rubbed the back of his neck. “Right, I’ll...so you don’t want the turtleneck?”

“No.”

“I’ll get you something else then,” Nigel conceded, moving towards the door. He paused in the doorway and cleared his throat. “I’m sorry for being pushy and upsetting you.”

“It’s fine. I know you got mad because you care about me.”

“Yeah...I just...you don’t deserve to be called that.”

“I know.”

“So we’re good?”

“We are still friends if that’s what you’re asking.”

Nigel smiled. “Yeah, I guess that was what I was getting at. Thanks for putting up with my shit, sweetheart.”

Nigel left and returned with a shimmery blue button down two sizes too large for him, but Adam didn’t mind.

The older man insisted on walking him to the door “like a gentleman” and gave him a soft kiss despite the fact that Brutus was snickering the entire time.

Adam thought the bald District 2 mentor was extremely rude.

However, he didn’t have time to tell the offensive man this. 

Instead, he walked briskly to the elevator and made his way back to the District 12 suite.

When he arrived on the twelfth floor, Haymitch was sitting outside the door with a bottle in his hand.

He squinted up at Adam. “Katniss kicked me out.”

“Why?”

“I lost you.”

“You didn’t lose me.”

“Tell her that.”

“I will, but you need to move. I can’t open the door.”

Haymitch staggered to his feet and gestured at the door. “You first. Last time I tried to get in she nearly bit my head off.”

Adam put his thumb on the identification pad and entered the main suite, Haymitch following close behind him.

“Haymitch, get the fuck out! Don’t come back until you find—“ Katniss raged. She stopped when she saw Adam. “You’re back.”

“Yes, I’m back. Haymitch didn’t lose me. I am not an object that can be lost.”

“He said you weren’t at the District 2 suite. Where were y—“

“I was there. The bald man lied.”

“Brutus...that fucker,” Haymitch mumbled on his way to the kitchen.

Katniss glared at Adam. “I told you to stay away from that career. He’s just using you.”

“No, he’s not. Nigel is my friend.”

“Friend?” Katniss scoffed, eyeing his neck. “You let him fuck you.”

“Yes.”

For a moment, Katniss looked like she was about to cry, but when her jaw clenched, Adam decided that he must have been mistaken.

“How the fuck could you be so stupid?” she asked before storming away.

Adam flinched when he heard a door slam.

“I’m not stupid,” he said.

Nobody was there to hear him.

Tears stinging his eyes, Adam went to bed alone.


	6. An Unexpected Ally

**Five (Nigel)**

Seneca Crane looked like a little bitch.

It was mainly because of the beard.

His beard was practically a crime against humanity.

It made Nigel want to either gouge out his own eyes or punch the fucker in the face. 

Probably the latter.

The fucker had a very punchable face.

“So, Male Two, what have you prepared for us?” the Head Gamemaker asked.

Nigel narrowed his eyes. 

Crane even sounded like a little bitch.

“We’re waiting,” Crane said impatiently. 

Clenching his jaw, Nigel went over to the stack of realistic dummies. He threw two of them over his shoulder and marched to the center of the room. He deposited them there and arranged both so that they were sitting up, facing the Gamemakers. He then repeated the process with two more dummies. Then, he went to grab some camouflage paint, an ax, and a large knife.

He returned to the dummies and used the greenish paint to write names on each of their bare chests.

He stood up and used the knife to point at one pair of dummies.

“Alex and Amy from District 1,” he announced. Their real names were Alexandrite and Amethyst, but he didn’t have time to write that shit. Thankfully, none of the Gamemakers cared enough to correct him, and Nigel continued. He pointed at the second pair of dummies. “Logan and Marina from District 4.”

“That’s it?” Crane drawled. “Finger painting?”

The other Gamemakers chuckled and Nigel saw red.

Smug bastard.

With a snarl, Nigel turned and attacked the lifelike dummies. He slit their throats and got splattered with fake blood in the process. Some of it got into his mouth, and Nigel wondered why the fuck it tasted like cherries.

The Capitol was fucking weird.

Licking his lips, Nigel began to put on a show. He picked a dummy at random and started to dismember it. 

He heard someone retch and smiled as he continued to chop the fake body into manageable pieces.

He’d known that this twisted act would get their attention.

Nigel hadn’t had to dismember a body in ages. The last time had been back when he was still a grunt for some wannabe drug lord. When the idiot had gotten himself caught and executed, Nigel had gone onto bigger and better things. Before he’d been forced out of the business, he’d had his own grunts to cut up bodies for him. However, apparently mutilating a corpse was something he could still do with ease.

“Like riding a fucking bike,” Nigel chuckled as he moved to dismember a second dummy.

“Okay, that’s enough. Thank you,” a feminine voice called.

Nigel stopped and looked up at the Gamemakers. 

They were all staring at him in horror except for that fucker, Crane.

He was passed out on the floor with a couple of Avoxes trying to revive him.

The pussy had fucking fainted.

Nigel laughed.

He stood there covered in blood and laughed like a fucking maniac.

Then, he gave the Gamemakers a bloody smile and bowed.

He left the room, pleased with his performance and sure he’d managed to act psycho enough to get a decent score. He needed one high enough to convince sponsors to take a chance on him once it became apparent that he wasn’t with the career pack.

There was no way he would ever dismember a corpse in the games. It would be fucking disrespectful. However, the Gamemakers didn’t know that.

Nigel made his way down the hall towards the elevators.

He wanted nothing more than to go back to the waiting room and sit with Adam until it was his turn to perform for the Gamemakers. However, Nigel knew showing up covered in fake blood and fighting with the guards would just upset the nervous man more. Besides, they’d see each other that night after the training scores were announced. There was no need to stress the beautiful man out just because Nigel missed him.

Secure in his plans to meet the younger man on the roof later, Nigel returned to District 2’s suite, cleaned up, and took a nap.

When he finally reemerged from his room a few hours later, he nearly ran into Brutus.

“What the fuck—“

“Your boy toy is here. He arrived like an hour ago, but I just found out. Thought you should know.”

Adam.

Nigel paled.

“Where is he?”

“Dining room. He’s with Enobaria.”

Shit.

Nigel rushed to the dining room and was shocked by what he saw.

It was empty.

“Brutus you fucker! What kind of sick joke are you trying to pull? Adam is not here. I should kick your ass for—“

Something hard hit Nigel’s shin.

He looked down and realized that it had been Enobaria’s fist.

“Nigel,” she hissed from under the table. “Shut the fuck up.”

Nigel blinked. “What are you—“

“Just get down here, jackass.”

Too shocked to disobey, Nigel knelt down and found himself looking at Adam wrapped in a pile of blankets.

The kid’s hair was a mess and his face was red and splotchy.

Nigel narrowed his eyes at Enobaria. “What the hell did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything. He came here like this.”

Nigel pushed past the shark-toothed Victor and moved to embrace Adam.

“He doesn’t want to be touched right now.”

“Sweetheart, are you okay?” Nigel asked, ignoring Enobaria’s warning.

Adam flinched and scooted away.

“Told ya.”

Nigel glared at his mentor. “Why don’t you just fuck off?”

“Because, you obviously don’t know what you’re doing.”

“And you do?”

“Yeah. He’s like my son.”

“What?”

“My son, Theo, he’s different too.”

“Adam isn’t different. There’s nothing wrong with him.”

“Of course, there’s nothing wrong with him. I didn’t say that. Are you saying there’s something wrong with my son?”

“Besides being related to you?”

“Nigel, be polite. Enobaria’s nice,” Adam murmured from his cocoon of blankets.

Nigel looked at the beautiful man in horror, before turning back to his bitch of a mentor.

“You fucking brainwashed him!”

“I didn’t brainwash him,” Enobaria scoffed. “He came here overwhelmed and asking for you of all people, and I realized that I was looking at my son years into the future. I couldn’t let the kid go to you in that state. You would have fucked things up, so I took care of him. Stop acting like I’m an evil bitch.”

“You are an evil bitch.”

“Nigel, you’re being very aggressive for no reason again. Enobaria was nice to me. Be nice to her.”

Sighing, Nigel bit his tongue on an insult and turned his attention to Adam. “Sure, gorgeous. So, why are you upset. Did something happen during your session?”

“I messed up,” Adam sniffled into his blanket. “I’m going to get a zero.”

“I’m sure that’s not true. Everyone gets at least a one,” Enobaria cut in. “Also, you said the bomb went off right? That will get you at least a four. One of the District 3 tributes a couple of years ago made a bomb that was a total dud and got a two. If the bomb went off—“

“I made it too big,” Adam said as he began to rock. “I was supposed to make a tiny one. Nigel and Haymitch both reminded me this morning, but I made it too big and…”

“I’m sure it wasn’t that bad, sweetheart.”

“I set the stage on fire.”

Nigel and Enobaria both stared.

Fuck.

That couldn’t be good.

“Was anyone hurt?” Enobaria asked, voicing Nigel’s fear.

Hurting a Gamemaker would be a death sentence for Adam.

“No, it was a very small fire, but the Head Gamemaker was so angry. He called me an idiot and—“

“That little bitch,” Nigel growled, causing Enobaria to snort.

“Nigel’s right for once, Adam. Crane is a little bitch. Don’t worry about him.”

“But—“

“I’m sure it will be fine, gorgeous,” Nigel lied. 

Adam gave him a dubious look before staring off into space. 

A beat passed, and Nigel opened his mouth to speak to the younger man. However, Enobaria had other ideas.

“Nigel, a word.”

Before he even had a chance to refuse, Nigel was being dragged from under the table and marched into the nearest bathroom.

Enobaria locked the door and turned to face Nigel, arms crossed.

“So, that’s your secret ally?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Please, the kid’s in the dining room, and I’ve known about you going rogue since the first day of training.”

“Cassia…”

“Said nothing. Odair’s brats ratted you out.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Would it have stopped you?”

“Fuck no.”

“Exactly.”

Enobaria leaned against the door. “He’s not what I imagined.”

“What did you imagine?”

“Tits.”

“What?”

“Odair just told me you were cozying up with a pretty little thing from a lower district. I expected a woman. Don’t look at me like that. Of course, I expected a woman. I was friends with Gabi, remember?”

“Until you dropped her.”

“I didn’t drop her. I had a kid. My priorities changed, and she got bored. Anyway, that was eight years ago, and you’re no longer married to her. Why are you still holding her grudges? You’ve been hostile since you got on the train back in Two.”

“So have you.”

“What did you expect? You stole my tribute’s spot and fucked up my game plan. Then, you act like an absolute ass who can’t even pretend to be a proper tribute in front of sponsors. Do you know how many donations you’ve cost us? How you’ve hurt Cassia’s chances of winning?”

Nigel stared at the floor. “It’s just all such bullshit.”

“It is. Do you think I don’t know it is?”

“But—“

“This is my job. I’ve been training for it since before I was even old enough for the Reaping bowl. I’m used to all the bullshit. I’m just doing my best to bring a winner home and keep our district from becoming a slum. You’re the one fucking everything up.”

“Yeah, I guess I am.”

“Why are you here, Nigel? I thought it was for glory at first, but I don’t think that’s it anymore.”

“Gabi.”

“Gabi?”

“She broke my fucking heart.”

“Jesus, Nigel. This is a suicide?”

“Yeah.”

“You wanted to make Gabi watch you die. That’s why you volunteered. That’s twisted even for you.”

Nigel ran a hand through his hair. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“And now? You still plan on dying? You allied with that sweet kid and you’re just gonna abandon him in the end. He’s going to die all alone because he wasted his time on you. You’re such a fucking—“

“I’m not abandoning him. He’s going to win. I’ll make sure of it.”

Enobaria studied Nigel’s face. “You’re serious aren’t you?”

“As a heart attack.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why, because you want Cassia to win?”

“That and I don’t think Adam could handle being a Victor. He’s too fragile for this life.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means being a Victor is not all sunshine and rainbows. It’s nightmares, PTSD, and survivor’s guilt. It’s years of training kids to die and bringing most of them home in boxes. For a select unlucky few it also means forced prostitution. With the way Adam is, it might not come to that, but he is unusually beautiful and—“

Nigel punched a wall.

“Fucking hell, Nigel. You’re going to have to see a doctor for that. Jesus…” 

Enobaria grabbed a towel and used it to wrap Nigel’s bleeding and rapidly swelling hand. Nigel pulled away, taking the towel with him. He hugged his hand to his chest and looked at the woman with devastated eyes.

“What am I supposed to do? Just let him die? I can’t just let him die.”

“Does he know about this plan of yours?”

“No.”

“Okay, first you have to tell him you want to save him. Then, you need to explain all the reasons why he just might be better off dead.”

“I don’t think—“

“Listen to me for once,” Enobaria snapped. “You tell him everything, and you let him choose. Then, you obey his wishes, even if it means letting him die.”

Tears stung Nigel’s eyes. “I don’t know if I can.”

“Fuck, Gabi was right. You are a clingy bastard. You’ve known the kid a week and you’re already falling for him. You poor old fool.”

“Fuck you.”

“No thanks,” Enobaria said. She pinched the bridge of her nose. “You’re a pathetic bastard, you know that? You’re so pathetic, I’m actually feeling sorry for you. So, I’ll make you a deal. Tell that sweet kid the truth, and if he decides he wants to give living a chance, I’ll help you.”

“You’ll help me?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“If Cassia dies, I’ll do whatever it takes to get him out of the arena alive.”

“And if she lives?”

The Victor shrugged. “You’re on your own.”

“Seems like a shit deal.”

“It’s the best one you’re gonna get.”

Nigel sighed.

It _was_ the best deal he was going to get. 

But—

He looked hard at his mentor. “Even before she dies—“

“If she dies—“

“Either way, my sponsor money is mine. You can’t keep that from me.”

Enobaria smirked. “Actually, I can.”

“You fucking—“

“But, I won’t. You’re lucky Adam is precious. I had planned to watch you starve.”

With that parting statement, Enobaria exited the bathroom.

Nigel stared after her in disbelief.

He’d just made a deal with a psychopath.

Cradling his injured hand, he too left the bathroom.

He needed to talk to Adam.


	7. The Choice

**Six (Adam)**

Adam was very annoyed with Nigel.

The older man’s hand was obviously broken, yet he insisted that going to see the Training Center’s doctor could wait.

Adam did not think it could wait.

The hand was swollen and—

“It can wait, sweetheart. I just....I need to talk to you first.”

“We can talk later,” Adam said as he crawled out from under the dining room table. He was feeling better now and was no longer obsessively reliving his disastrous session with the Gamemakers. Instead, he was focused on his friend’s injury. He turned to look at where Nigel sat by the pile of abandoned blankets. “Come on, Nigel. We need to go.”

With a grunt, Nigel emerged from under the table. In the light, Adam could clearly see that the knuckles on Nigel’s injured hand were split.

He frowned. “You punched something.”

“Yeah…”

“What did you punch?”

“The wall.”

“Punching a wall is childish. You need to learn how to control your emotions better.”

“I know.”

“I too used to struggle with similar outbursts, but I now clench my fists and count to one hundred or I—“

“Wait...you used to punch walls?

Adam bristled. “I used to do a lot of things. However, we are focusing on you now. You’re the one with a recent injury.”

“Look, Adam, I appreciate the concern, but it’s not that bad. We’re in the Capitol. They can use their magic to fix it up in no time. A half hour under one of their high tech laser things and I’ll be good as new.”

“But—“

“Adam, I really need to talk to you right now. It’s fucking important.”

Adam let his eyes flicker over Nigel’s face.

The older man looked upset.

Angry?

Sad?

Adam couldn’t tell what exactly Nigel was feeling, but he knew that his friend was serious about needing to talk. 

Maybe seeing a doctor could wait.

“Okay, Nigel. We can talk.”

Nigel took a seat at the table and motioned for Adam to do the same.

They sat in silence for a moment before Nigel cleared his throat and began.

“Gorgeous, you know how I don’t plan to win the games?”

Adam nodded. “Yes, that’s why you don’t mind being allies with me. We can keep each other company before we die. However, I still think you should try to win. Gabi is mean, but you can find someone nicer.”

“I know that now, sweetheart.”

Adam beamed. “You mean you’re going to try to win? That’s wonderful. I think you—“

“No, I’m not.”

“But—“

“What I’m trying to get at is…” Nigel took a deep breath. “I don’t plan to win the games for myself. I plan to win them for you.”

Adam’s brow furrowed. “I don’t understand. You’ll win in my honor?”

“No, I plan to make you a Victor. I’m going to kill anyone who dares to fucking look at you in that arena, and then I’ll just let go.”

“What do you mean, you’ll just let go?”

“I’ll breathe my last breath and you can go home and—“

“You mean you’ll kill yourself, so I can live?”

“Yes.”

Adam clenched his fists as his face heated. “No, I don’t want you to do that.”

“Adam—“

“I don’t want you to die. This is dumb. It’s dumb dumb dumb...and I don’t want you to do that. You can win. Try to win and—“

“I don’t want to win. Dying has always been my plan. It’s why I volunteered.”

“You feel better now and—“ 

“Adam, I want to try to save you. Having that goal is what is making me better. Without you I have fucking nothing.”

“That’s not true…”

“Yes, it is.”

Adam stared at Nigel for a moment and then turned his attention to the wall. He clenched his fists and counted to one hundred.

“Gorgeous?” 

“I don’t want you to die,” Adam said. 

“I understand. This situation is fucked, but there can only be one winner. I want that winner to be you. You have your whole life ahead of you and—“

“So do you.”

“Adam, I’m old and—“

“You’re not that old. Your district has a life expectancy of seventy-one. It’s one of the longest in the districts. It’s even longer for Victors and you could—“

“Adam, I’m not getting out of that arena alive. If you die, I die too. Even if that means there is no Victor. I’d rather die than live in a world without you in it.”

Adam frowned at Nigel. “You’re being irrational.”

“Maybe, I am, but that doesn’t change my decision. Either, I die or we both die. Which scenario do you prefer? Are you interested in winning?”

“I...I don’t want to die.”

“Okay, that’s good. It’s fucking great just…” Nigel cleared his throat. “If you win...do you think you could handle it? It’s not a nice life.”

Adam nodded. He knew this. Haymitch Abernathy had won the Hunger Games and had come back a terrible drunk. Harlan always said the Victor felt guilty for winning and not bringing any kids home alive. Even after bringing Katniss home, Adam had to admit that the man still looked desperately unhappy. 

“I know that being a Victor isn’t nice. Haymitch Abernathy is my mentor.”

Nigel barked out a laugh. “Yeah, I guess a Victor’s life isn’t exactly seen as glamorous in District 12.”

“It’s not.”

“So, even with how shit it is to be a Victor and mentor for the games…”

“I don’t want to die. I like living. I like spending time with Harlan and Prim and looking at the stars and—“

“Okay, good. I’m really glad you like life, sweetheart,” Nigel gave Adam a soft smile. Then, his face fell and he sighed. “There’s just one more thing about being a Victor you need to know.”

“What is it?”

“Prostitution.”

Adam blinked. “I don’t understand.”

“Some Victors are forced into prostitution after their games.”

Adam paled, and it became hard to breath. 

“Katniss?” Adam gasped. 

“I don’t know. I…” 

Adam started rocking and hitting himself in the head. Nigel moved to stop him, and Adam fell off the chair with a thud.

“Nigel, what the fuck are you doing?” Enobaria snapped as she strode into the room. She was at Adam’s side in an instant. “Adam, cross your arms over your chest and breathe. Perfect, just like that.”

Adam did as he was told.

It didn’t help.

He was so worried about Katniss.

Did she have to do the same awful things that the starving Seam girls did to stay alive?

Did she—

“Adam,” Enobaria soothed. “Nigel says you’re worried about your cousin, Katniss?”

Adam nodded. “Is she—“

Enobaria shook her head. “No, she’s too young. Sometimes, Snow makes an exception like with Finnick Odair. However, Katniss is not popular enough for him to bother selling her early. Actually, I don’t think he will even bother selling her at all. She was a bit pathetic in her games. Just hiding in the trees and occasionally shooting another tribute—“

“She’s safe?” Adam gasped. “She’s mean, but I want her to be safe.”

“Yeah, she’s safe from that at least.”

Adam bit his lip and forced himself to calm. He looked up at Enobaria and tried to smile. “Thank you, you’re nice. Your teeth are scary, but you’re nice.”

The Victor laughed and Adam looked behind her at Nigel. He was cradling his hand to his chest and his knuckles seemed to be bleeding again. Adam thought about going under the dining room table to grab the towel Nigel had abandoned there. However, it would probably be best to get something cleaner to stop the bleeding and—

“So, Nigel told you about his plan?”

Adam’s eyes flicked back to Enobaria. “Yes.”

“Obviously, he also explained the possible consequences of winning and fucked it up.”

“He didn’t fuck it up...I was overly emotional. He did his best. Nigel always does his best.”

Enobaria scoffed. “No, he doesn’t.”

“Yes he—“

“Anyway, what’s your answer, kid? Do you want to give living a go? It might be more than you can handle.”

Adam looked down at his hands. He wanted to live more than anything. However, living as a Victor could end up being worse than dying. While he might be able to get used to mentoring, seeing tributes die year after year would be torture. Also, he couldn’t imagine having sex with strangers. They could hurt him. They wouldn’t be as gentle as Nigel and—

Adam noticed his face was wet and wiped at his eyes.

Nigel was going to die.

He was going to die and leave Adam all alone to live a scary new life.

“I want to live, but I don’t want Nigel to die,” Adam said as he began to rock again. “This isn’t fair. I hate this. It is stupid and unfair and—“

Nigel was at his side in an instant, and when the older man hugged him, Adam melted into the embrace.

Enobaria watched them intently. Adam could feel her eyes on him, but he didn’t mind. He trusted her. She wasn’t evil no matter what Nigel said.

Nigel kissed the top of his head, and Adam sighed contentedly. He turned his face up for a kiss and—

“Eww...no. Just no,” Enobaria said as she got to her feet. She looked down at them and shook her head. “Seriously, Adam, you could do so much better.”

Nigel flipped her off and gave Adam a quick peck on the lips.

“Disgusting,” Enobaria muttered while glaring at Nigel. She then met Adam’s eyes. “So, you’re going to try to win?”

Adam bit his lip. “I don’t think I can…

“But, do you want to try?”

Adam nodded and Enobaria gave him an encouraging smile. 

“Okay, then,” she said before fixing a hard look on Nigel. “Apparently, we have a deal, jackass. Don’t fuck this up.”

Enobaria left the room, and Adam moved to kiss Nigel again.

He wanted the comfort of sex and—

Adam remembered Nigel’s hand and frowned.

“You still need to go to the doctor.”

“I’ve had worse. It can wait,” Nigel growled before kissing Adam.

They gently kissed for what seemed like hours, Adam doing his best to avoid hurting Nigel’s hand. Eventually, they moved to the older man’s bedroom, and Adam rode him until they were both sated. Adam was still worried about the future, but in that moment, all he cared about was being as close to Nigel as he could. 

They stayed together for awhile, just cuddling and exchanging lazy kisses.

Then, Enobaria opened the door and shouted into the room. “They’ll be announcing the training scores soon. Get dressed. Sexy times are over. Adam, you’ll be watching the results with us. I’ve already called the District 12 suite and let them know. If they give you shit about it later, tell me. I’ll take care of it.”

The door slammed.

Adam looked nervously at Nigel. “Katniss is going to be so mad at me.”

“Do you want to watch the results with us? You don’t have to. I can walk you back to the District 12 suite...”

“No, I want to stay here.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” Adam blushed. “I...I just want to spend more time with you.”

Nigel beamed and kissed Adam’s cheek. “Then, stay. Your cousin will get the fuck over it.”

Adam and Nigel got dressed and headed to the living room. It was a lot more crowded than Adam had expected. He had only expected Enobaria, Brutus, and Nigel’s district partner. However, there were at least a dozen other people crowded into the room. All of them were obviously Capitol citizens with their bright hair and gaudy outfits. 

Enobaria walked over and introduced them to a green-skinned man wearing a purple top hat with far too many feathers on it.

“This is Dr. Fernsby. He’s been kind enough to bring some equipment to fix Nigel’s hand.”

“But—“ 

“That’s wonderful,” Adam smiled. “Thank you.”

Nigel looked down at Adam with a frown, but eventually followed the strange man to the corner of the room.

Adam moved to follow, but was surprised when Enobaria linked her arm with his. “Come, sit with me.”

Enobaria led Adam to the couch and distracted him with stories of her son, Theo. The eight-year-old loved hovercrafts and even built models of them. He was very smart but didn’t really do well in school.

“He just gets bored, you know? Also, it’s so stressful there with all of the noise and the other kids—“

Adam nodded in understanding. 

He looked around the room for Nigel and noticed Nigel’s district partner watching him intently.

Adam fidgeted and looked away.

“Ignore Cassia,” Enobaria said. “She’s just not used to seeing me be kind to anyone who isn’t her.”

“Okay…”

The television flickered to life and everyone started scrambling for seats. Nigel returned with his hand looking good as new, and intimidated his way into the seat on the other side of Adam.

Enobaria rolled her eyes at this, but said nothing.

Caesar Flickerman appeared on the screen gushing about his excitement about the upcoming Quarter Quell. Then, he began announcing the training scores.

Adam was so nervous, he was shaking and he eagerly took Nigel’s hand when it was offered. 

_“From District 1, Alexandrite Lipton, with a score of nine.”_

“Alex is such a little shit...“ Nigel muttered.

_“From District 1, Amethyst Carlyle, with a score of ten.”_

Nigel was next. 

Adam squeezed his friend’s hand tighter. 

_“From District 2, Nigel Vladescu, with a score of twelve.”_

Everyone gasped, and Adam beamed up at a gaping Nigel. “That’s the highest score ever! Nobody’s ever gotten a twelve before.” 

“Impressive, jackass,” Enobaria said. “You just got yourself all the sponsors you could dream of and put a target on your back.”

The excited murmurs died down as Nigel’s district partner was announced.

_“From District 2, Cassia Balan, with a score of...five.”_

Caesar Flickerman seemed to be just as confused about the score as the people gathered in the District 2 suite. A career tribute scoring less than an eight was almost unheard of. Everyone was looking at the young woman in shock and asking each other what she could have done wrong. 

Nigel’s district partner, Cassia, ran out of the room, and Enobaria rose to follow her.

“Shit…” Nigel sighed. “Poor Cathy.”

“Cassia.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“But you—“

“Just a nickname. Now, let’s size up the competition. Enobaria will take care of her.”

Together, Adam and Nigel watched the scores, taking note of anyone who seemed particularly dangerous. 

There had been a record number of volunteers from the lower districts this year. Older relatives had volunteered to take the place of younger relatives. The older volunteers ranged in age from twenty-five to fifty. Most were in their mid thirties to early forties. In contrast, with the exception of Nigel, the volunteers from the career districts were all eighteen and had recently graduated from their districts’ training academies. 

Adam thought the increased age of the tributes was why the scores seemed to be unusually high this year. Nobody scored lower than a five and quite a few tributes got very impressive scores.

The two tributes from District 4 both got elevens. An older woman from District 5 got a seven. A man from District 6 got a ten. The tall teenaged boy from District 9 got an eight. Both tributes from District 11 got nines.

Then, it was Adam’s turn and he began to shake.

Nigel put his arm around him, and Adam gratefully leaned into his side.

_“From District 12, Adam Raki, with a score of ten.”_

Ten.

He had scored a ten.

Nigel shouted a string of gleeful profanities and kissed Adam’s curls.

Adam stared numbly at the television as Caesar Flickerman announced his district partner’s score of five and ended the broadcast. 

“You did it, gorgeous. You fucking did it.”

Adam looked up at Nigel’s smiling face.

“But, I set the stage on fire.”

“I guess they were impressed by your potential for destruction.”

Adam bit his lip. “It was a very big explosion, but I don’t think I deserve—“

“Adam, you earned that score. You did amazing, sweetheart. I’m so proud of you.”

He wasn’t sure he agreed with Nigel, but he didn’t argue.

Instead, Adam smiled shyly up at his new best friend.

“You’re proud of me?”

“You fucking bet I am.”

Nigel leaned in for a kiss, and Adam kissed back.

For a moment, everything was perfect.


	8. Declarations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine’s Day! My boyfriend lives in Denmark (not Mads haha...another guy who actually knows I exist), so there was no date today. I just wrote this instead. Anyway, I hope everyone has a lovely day. ❤️ 
> 
> Thanks to everyone who reads, comments, subscribes, and gives kudos. I love you all :)

**Seven (Nigel)**

Cassia’s low training score was a bigger problem than Nigel had expected.

“What do you mean, she’s kicked out?” Enobaria raged into the phone. She was pacing at the end of the dining room and wearing a furious expression. “The career pack will be nothing without District 2!”

Nigel took a bite of his eggs and watched the drama unfold. 

Enobaria growled. “No, you can’t keep Nigel. It’s either both of them or neither of them. What...what the fuck? You know what fuck you. Nigel doesn’t even want to be in the career pack. He’s got other plans…no I’m not telling you those plans! So, your best bet is Cassia and….how dare you? She’s one of the best tributes I’ve ever—“

Beside him, Cassia looked sleep-deprived and miserable. She had for the past couple of days. Yesterday, she had silently cried all through interview training, before finally being allowed to retire to her room for the rest of the day.

Nigel really felt sorry for the kid.

She wasn’t eating, so Nigel served her a plate of toast and a glass of orange juice. He added a couple of sausages and glared at the young woman until she took a bite of one.

Brutus entered the room with the District 2 escort, a silly creature with fluffy lilac curls and silver skin.

Brutus sat down, pulling the ridiculous woman onto his lap.

“Oh, Brutus,” she squealed as she playfully hit his chest. “Not here.”

“Come on, Leta. They don’t mind.”

“Actually, we do mind.” Nigel took a sip of his coffee. 

Brutus flipped Nigel off and pulled the giggly Capitol woman into a kiss.

“Get a room,” Cassia muttered as she poked at her sausages.

Brutus ended the kiss and looked down his nose at the young tribute.

“You have a lot of nerve talking to me like that after shaming our district. If I were you I’d have killed myself by now.”

Cassia paled. She seemed to be frozen in her seat except for the slight shaking of her hands. Nigel glared at Brutus. He was two seconds away from hitting the oversized Victor for being so fucking cruel. Sensing the tension, Leta, the District 2 escort, scurried out of the room.

Nigel dropped his fork and stood.

He was about to lunge across the table when Enobaeia beat him to the punch.

Literally.

The petite Victor crossed the room and punched Brutus in the face. There was a splatter of blood and the large man fell back in his chair. Enobaria grabbed a knife and held it at the larger Victor’s throat. 

“Talk to her like that again, and I’ll kill you,” she seethed. “You may be popular in the Capitol, but we have plenty of people to replace you. One of them is Cassia’s father.” Enobaria lowered her knife and smiled. “Actually, talk to Cassia like that again, and I’ll let you live so Ajax can kill you himself. He’s much more creative with his kills than I am.”

With that, Enobaria got off the larger Victor and turned to look at Cassia and Nigel.

“Change of game plan. Come with me,” she said before marching out of the room.

The shaken Cassia followed without hesitation.

However, Nigel had something important to do.

He sauntered over to Brutus and kicked the stunned man in the ribs. Then, he knelt down and made his own threat. 

“Leave the kid alone, or I’ll make a call to my former associates. They make Cassia’s father look like a puppy,” Nigel purred before slapping the man’s cheek with fake affection. 

Then, he stood, grabbed a piece of toast, and made his way to the living room.

He was still chewing his last bite of toast when he took a seat on the couch.

Enobaria glared at him and he winked.

“You’re so fucking annoying,” his mentor muttered. 

Nigel smirked and made himself comfortable in his seat.

Cassia fidgeted beside him and spoke. “I’m out of the career pack right? That’s what the call was about…”

Enobaria sighed. “Yeah, District 1 made the decision, and Odair was too much of a pussy to fight it.”

Cassia burst into tears. “I’m so sorry. I choked during my Gamemaker session and didn’t tell you. I threw knives but only hit half of the dummies. I’d hoped my score would still be fine, but it fucking wasn’t. I’m a laughingstock and I shamed our district and I should have told you and—“

Enobaria sat down beside the sobbing young woman, hugged her, and murmured reassurances into her hair.

Nigel gaped.

Okay.

Maybe Adam was right, and Enobaria wasn’t an evil bitch.

“Cassia, sweetie. It will be fine. You can partner with Nigel and Adam. They both received great scores and—“

“What?” Nigel shouted.

Enobaria gave him a look. “Do you remember who controls your sponsor money? It would be a shame if it got misplaced during the games.”

Nigel gritted his teeth.

He knew it.

She was an evil bitch.

“I don’t have to…” Cassia said, eyes on her shoes. “If Nigel doesn’t want to ally with me, it’s okay. I’ll be fine on my own.”

Nigel studied the dejected young woman. She was strong and trained to kill. She probably would be fine on her own. However, something inside Nigel didn’t like the idea of abandoning his district partner to die alone.

It was a tiny voice that sounded suspiciously like Adam.

The beautiful man had fucking ruined him.

Nigel sighed.

“It’s fine, Cassia. You can join our alliance.”

“But, Adam—“

Enobaria cut in. “Adam, is a sweet boy. He’ll be happy to help you. Just be friendly and understanding. It may take some time for him to trust you.”

Decision made, they started preparing for their upcoming interviews. 

That night, Caesar Flickerman would be interviewing all of the tributes, and tomorrow the games would begin.

Nigel was terrified.

He was so fucking worried about Adam.

The angel didn’t deserve to go through the hell they were sure to experience in the arena.

Yet, there was nothing Nigel could do. There was no hope of escape. Tributes had tried in the past only to be shot for their efforts. 

Before Nigel knew it, he was dressed in a dark grey suit and waiting backstage with a trembling Cassia.

She was dressed in a red gown that showed far too much skin for his liking. 

Nigel frowned.

When had he become the girl’s father?

“I’m going to go check on Adam,” he muttered before stalking away.

Nigel made his way down the line of tributes, ignoring their confused stares and hostile glares. At the end of the line he saw his angel. He was dressed in a suit the same shade of blue as his eyes and looked fucking stunning.

Nigel grinned. “Hello, gorgeous.”

“Hi, Nigel. You look very handsome,” Adam giggled before throwing himself at Nigel.

Nigel briefly returned the kiss before pulling back with a frown.

“You taste like whisky.”

“Haymitch said it would help calm me down.”

“Is it working?”

Adam shrugged. “I’m still nervous, but mostly just fuzzy. Are you nervous, Nigel?”

“Yeah, a bit I guess,” Nigel frowned down at the swaying Adam. “You should drink some water.”

Nigel waved over an Avox and requested a couple of bottles of water. 

Adam made a grab for Nigel again, but the older man took a step back. “We’re not making out right now.”

“Why?”

“We’re in public.”

“But—“

“And the interviews start in fifteen minutes.”

Adam pouted and something inside Nigel melted. He took both of Adam’s hands in his and kissed the knuckles. Thankfully, the beautiful man’s smile quickly returned.

“I like you Nigel.”

“I like you too, gorgeous.”

The Avox returned with the requested water bottles, and Nigel handed one to Adam.

The younger man drank the water eagerly and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He hiccuped and started to giggle.

Nigel couldn’t help but chuckle as well.

He leaned down and gave his angel a peck on the lips.

Somebody scoffed in disgust.

Nigel looked over Adam's shoulder and saw the younger man’s district partner, Ivy, glaring at him.

Nigel returned the sour-faced woman’s hostile look.

He was about to say something to the bitch when Cassia appeared at his side.

“Nigel, interviews are starting in five minutes. You have to come back,” the young woman said before turning her attention to Adam. “Hello, Adam.”

“Hi, Cathy.”

Nigel covered his mouth in an attempt to muffle his laughter.

Adam blinked. “Your nickname is Cathy right? Nigel said…”

Cassia shot an annoyed look at Nigel, before focusing her attention back on Adam. “Cathy is fine. Anyway, I like your suit.”

“Thanks. Your dress looks like a strawberry.”

“Oh…” the young woman looked down self-consciously. 

“I love strawberries,” Adam continued with a smile. 

“I do too.” Cassia smiled back briefly before looking nervous. “Uhhh...so...I don’t know if Nigel mentioned it, but I want to join your alliance.”

Adam tilted his head. “You do?”

“Yeah…”

“Why?”

“The career pack are being a bunch of cunts,” Nigel said, wrapping his arm around Adam’s shoulders. “They’re making a big fuss about training scores. It’s bullshit. Long story short, I told Cathy...um...Cassia here she could join us. Is that okay, sweetheart?”

Adam bit his lip. “If I say no, will she be all alone?”

“Probably. But if you don’t feel comfortable with the idea, it’s fine. Say the word, and she’s gone.”

“No,” Adam shook his head. “Cassia can ally with us. Nobody should be alone.”

Nigel kissed the beautiful man’s curls. “You’re an angel. You know that, sweetheart? You’re a fucking angel.”

Adam blushed up at Nigel before smiling at Cassia.

“Don’t worry. We’ll protect you.”

“Thank you, Adam,” Cassia replied.

Her eyes looked suspiciously wet, but Nigel knew better than to say anything.

He gave Adam one more kiss goodbye and then followed the younger tribute back to their assigned spot in line.

The interviews began. 

Nigel and Cassia kept their eyes on the closest backstage monitor broadcasting the events onstage. 

_“Hello everyone, I’m Caesar Flickerman and tonight is the night you’ve all been waiting for…the Tribute Interviews for the 75th Hunger Games!”_

The roar of the crowd could be heard backstage and Nigel gritted his teeth as the camera panned over the frenzied crowd. 

“Bunch of bloodsuckers…” he muttered.

Cassia nodded in agreement.

_“Our first guest is a very special young lady from District 1...give it up for...Amethyst Carlyle!”_

Nigel watched the District 1 interviews with a blank expression. He didn’t give a fuck about the two brats attempting to dazzle the crowd with their practiced jokes and shimmering outfits.

However, when Cassia was being interviewed, he paid attention. 

_“So, Cassia. Like all tributes this year, you are related to a Victor.”_

_“Yes, my father, Ajax Balan, won when he was fifteen.”_

_“Very impressive. Is it true he also received a score of ten?”_

_“Yes.”_

_“That’s double your score of five.”_

_“Yes, it is.”_

_“I’ve heard rumors...just rumors of course...that District 2 is no longer a part of this year’s career alliance.” Flickerman said coyly, pausing for the crowd to gasp. “Does your historically low score have anything to do with that? If it’s not all just rumors of course...“_

Nigel scowled as Cassia sidestepped the rude question. She seemed shaken during the rest of the interview, but she answered the questions well and even made the audience laugh a couple of times.

Soon, Nigel was called to the stage.

_“Our next guest is the man who has received the highest training score on record...give it up for...Nigel Vladescu!”_

Nigel turned away from the monitor, straightened his shoulders, and sauntered onto the stage. He smiled and waved at the crowd. He even threw in a few winks before sitting on the small sofa across from Caesar Flickerman.

“Hello, Nigel. It’s wonderful to have you here.”

“It’s wonderful to be here, Caesar,” Nigel lied with a flirtatious wink. “Can I call you Ceaser?” 

“You can call me anything you want, handsome.”

The crowd laughed and Nigel grinned.

The first few questions were easy enough to answer. They covered Nigel’s famous father and what he liked best about the Capitol.

Then, Flickerman went in for the kill.

“So...is there anyone special in your life?” the blue-haired man asked with a leer. “Perhaps a handsome young man from District 12?”

Nigel froze. He hadn’t planned on hiding Adam, but he had figured their close relationship would be revealed in the arena. Not now. Not on stage with far too many bright lights and—

“Ohhh...you look shocked. Was it a secret? According to my sources, you two haven’t been hiding your little romance at all. Kissing backstage! How delightfully scandalous.”

The audience laughed, and Nigel felt like a fool for being so careless.

He forced himself to smile. “What can I say? I’m a passionate man.”

“And the tribute from District 12, Adam Raki, he brings out that passion?”

“He’s a special person.” 

“I’m sure he is. I can’t wait to meet him,” Flickerman said with a wink. 

Nigel resisted the urge to punch the other man and plastered a smile onto his face for the last few minutes of his interview.

Once backstage, he was given the choice of returning to his district’s suit or watching the rest of the interviews in a designated viewing room.

Nigel chose the latter option, and found the room empty except for Cassia.

He took a seat beside her and they watched the rest of the interviews together in stony silence. 

None of the interviews seemed to be particularly interesting to Nigel. It was mostly talking about the famous Victor each tribute was related to. Then, Flickerman would ask a few questions about their lives back home or what they liked about the Capitol.

As the show went on, a handful of other tributes joined Nigel and Cassia to watch the interviews. However, most tributes decided to return to their suites and get as much rest as they could before tomorrow’s games.

The worst interview of the night was with Adam’s district partner, Ivy. The woman was hostile and refused to say anything nice about the Capitol when prompted. 

“Idiot,” Cassia murmured. “Nobody will sponsor her after that.”

Nigel grunted in agreement, palms beginning to sweat as he realized that Adam was up next.

The last interview of the night.

Flickerman bid a stiff goodbye to Ivy and then stood to introduce Adam.

_“Finally, our last guest of the night. He’s the second half of our favorite new tribute couple...give a warm round of applause to...Adam Raki!”_

Nigel held his breath as Adam shyly made his way onstage and unsteadily sat on the small sofa across from Flickerman.

_“Hello, Adam. How are you doing this evening?”_

_“I’m nervous.”_

_“Understandable. However, there is no need to be. We’re all friends here.”_

_The crowd cheered, and Adam winced._

_“So, Adam, your cousin, Katniss Everdeen, won last year’s Hunger Games. You must have been very proud.”_

_“Yes.”_

_“You’re a man of little words, aren’t you?”_

_“No.”_

_The crowd laughed, and Adam blushed._

_“Okay, so what have you liked best about the Capitol?”_

_“Well...I’ve made some friends.”_

_Flickerman leaned forward. “You have?”_

_“Yes.”_

_“Is one of those friends the male District 2 tribute, Nigel Vladescu?”_

_“Yes. Nigel is nice,” Adam told his twisting hands._

_“What is he like?”_

_“Oh...well, he’s very handsome.”_

_“I agree. What else? How about something not many people know about him.”_

_Adam looked up and tilted his head. “Well, he’s very good at sex.”_

_The crowd erupted into gleeful shouts._

_“Really?”_

_“Yes.” Adam nodded his head eagerly. “He does this thing with his tongue that—“_

Nigel stood and ran out of the viewing room. Adam was obviously still too drunk to be interviewed, and Nigel couldn’t watch his angel get taken advantage of any longer. The young man was saying far more than he would have been comfortable sharing in normal circumstances.

In a matter of minutes, Nigel had barged his way onto the stage.

His unexpected entrance caused the crowd to go wild.

Adam was still talking. “Sometimes, I like to ride Nigel when—“

“Sweetheart, I’m sure everyone has heard enough about that,” Nigel said, sitting beside Adam on the tiny sofa. “Why don’t you talk about your stars?”

Adam beamed up at him. “Oh, Nigel. You’re here.”

“Yes, and you smell like wine.”

“Haymitch came backstage and—“

“Welcome back, Nigel,” Flickerman said, seemingly pleased with the impromptu second interview. “Did you miss Adam? I’m sorry for keeping him so long.”

“It’s fine.”

“Well, since you’re both here...why don’t you tell us how you two met. We’ve had tribute couples before...the last one being poor Katniss and Gale. However, this is the first time in the history of the games that we’ve had a couple from two separate districts. How did this happen?”

“Well, Nigel was very aggressive for no reason. He was very annoying actually. But, we became friends and then friends who have sex.”

Nigel wanted to groan but kept his smile in place. “Yes, something like that.”

Flickerman frowned. “Friends? You two are just friends. That’s quite disappointing.”

The crowd murmured in agreement.

Nigel laughed it off. “Well, you see, It’s all very new and—“

“Nigel doesn’t love me. I love him, but—“

Nigel froze.

His ears began ringing and he thought he just might faint.

Adam loved him.

It was far too soon for that but—

They were in intense circumstances. Feelings developed quickly in times like these, and Nigel couldn’t deny that he was in love too.

Nigel kissed Adam, interrupting whatever it was that he was telling Flickerman. He kissed him long and hard. The crowd went wild with cheers and catcalls.

Nigel pulled back and rested his forehead against Adam’s.

“I love you too, gorgeous.”

Blue eyes blinked up at him. “You do?”

“Of course, I fucking do.”

Adam smiled, and Nigel smiled back.

He was about to go in for another kiss, when the blue-haired idiot cut in.

“So...still friends?”

“I think Nigel is my boyfriend now,” Adam answered.

“You bet I fucking am,” Nigel growled, giving his angel one last kiss in front of the cameras.

In front of all of Panem, Nigel declared his love for Adam, unaware this action was just one of many that would lead to a revolution.

For now, he was just an idiot in love.


End file.
